by A. P. Jensen
“Neil’s mother has stage four cancer and we want her to see us get married,” Mandy said and brushed away tears. “Everything’s happening so fast and we almost cancelled this trip but he told me to take a breather and see my cousin.” She took a deep, gasping breath. “I’m so glad we came! It’s all because of you, Johnny Bentley! This is all meant to be.”
“Finally, you’re good for something,” Regan muttered to Johnny who grinned.
***
“You had no right!” Bethany shouted.
It had been a long day dealing with Mandy and her entourage. It taxed them all to the limit. Mandy asked Bethany if she could make gowns for all eight of her bridesmaids. Bethany nearly passed out. Regan, who was familiar with the pricing from looking at the invoices stepped in to discuss cost and delivery. Mandy made a stipulation that Bethany had to fly to Chicago to deliver the dresses since there would be no time for a second fitting. Mandy insisted on taking them to lunch and then followed them back to the store where they congregated on the couches and listened to Johnny talk and sing a capella. They said heartfelt goodbyes to the Bentley Women at closing. It took less than a minute after closing the front doors for Bethany to confront Regan.
“What are you going to do? Spend months creating gowns that no one will ever see or wear?” Regan shot back.
“That’s none of your business! This was a mistake. You’re fired!”
Regan sneered at Bethany. “I un-fire myself.”
“You can’t do that!”
“Yeah, I can. And you know why, Bethany? Because you’re too talented to live in the closet. Anyone who looks at your work can see it. You know what women want, what looks good on their bodies. You can make their dreams come true! You can take this store to the next level. You feel me?”
Demi ran her hand up and down Bethany’s rigid back.
“I can help you, Bethany, but you gotta let me in.” Regan softened her voice. “You may not have the credentials of a designer, but you don’t need them. You just made a sale that would make Tyra Richie jealous.”
“Have you seen the shop? You can’t sell an eight thousand dollar gown in a rundown place like this!”
“What does the store have to do with the dress?” Regan asked with a frown.
“Maybe Mandy will change her mind,” Bethany said, sounding hopeful.
“Fat chance.”
“You can do this,” Demi said and gripped her shoulders.
“I have a lot of work to do,” Bethany said dazedly.
“Better get to it,” Regan advised.
Chapter Twelve
“You helped Bethany sell more dresses this week than she has in two months,” Demi said as they lounged on the couch with beer and pizza.
It was Friday night and they were both exhausted. They walked into Ever After on Tuesday morning to the sound of the phone ringing. Bethany was already there and freaking out.
“Mandy posted a picture of her entourage and you on her Facebook and tagged the store!” Bethany grasped handfuls of Johnny’s shirt and shook him. “The picture said, ‘Ever After, where dreams come true’ and now everyone thinks you’re a regular fixture at my store and want to book appointments when you’ll be here!”
Johnny shrugged. “Okay.”
Bethany looked like she wanted to pull her hair out. “No, you don’t get it. I have women traveling from New York next year that want to book. They think you’re my mascot or something.” She paced from wall to wall in the work room. “Everyone’s building this fairytale around Ever After since Mandy raved about her dress.”
“This is a good thing, right?” Johnny asked.
“Not when they expect you to be here for every appointment!” Bethany wailed. “And I have a decent inventory, but its nothing out of the ordinary!”
Johnny stepped in front of Bethany and braced his hands on her shoulders. “Bethany, breathe. I am going to be here this week, so if the women want me around for their fitting, I can do that. For future appointments, you can’t promise I’ll be here but if I’m in town, I’ll swing by whenever I can.”
“You’d do that?” Bethany asked, stunned.
“What are friends for?”
The week was a whirlwind of phone calls, walk-ins and appointments. Regan was sick off and on throughout the week, leaving Demi to wade through the paperwork alone. Johnny worked on keeping Bethany’s freak outs to a minimum and Demi smiled when Bethany’s laughter drifted into the office. Johnny sang crazy lyrics about dresses until Bethany begged him to stop. They both forced Bethany to take lunch breaks because she wouldn’t eat otherwise.
“Maybe you should sit in the shop window and write songs there to keep the walk-ins coming,” Demi sniggered.
Johnny pulled her feet onto his lap and massaged. She tipped her head back and moaned.
“Oh, I need that,” she said.
“You weren’t jealous of any of them,” Johnny said.
“They look at you as Johnny Bentley, not Johnny.”
“What?”
“They see you as a rock star, not a man. They see their idol on stage, not the real you and you know the difference too.” When he stared at her, she cocked her head to the side. “You’re always nice to them, but it doesn’t go further. They love the image, not the man.”
“You trust me?”
“Yes. Otherwise, I would have broken up with you the moment Mandy asked you to act like her husband and escort her through Ever After on her arm.”
His hands smoothed over the top of her feet and moved to her calves. “I’m relieved.”
“Good. You made Bethany laugh this week,” she said with a smile. “You helped her even when she told you she didn’t need it. Thanks.”
“I like her,” Johnny said simply.
“Me too.”
Her eyes drifted shut again.
“You like working with Regan?” he asked.
“Yes. We’re helping someone save their business. We’ll see what the next consultation is like.”
“You want to work?”
There was a strange note in his voice.
“What do you mean?”
“We have a house, cars, I have a lot of money…” He trailed off and she lifted a brow. “You don’t have to work if you don’t want to.”
“I like to work. I like the challenge and I like Regan.” She considered him thoughtfully. “What do you want to do?”
“Paul panicked when I told him I wanted to take a break. He’s been sending me product endorsement ideas.”
“Like what?”
Johnny hesitated and then, “A clothing line.”
“Really? Are you going to do it?”
Johnny snorted. “Hell no. I don’t care about clothes.” He hesitated and then gave a small shrug. “I like the idea of custom guitars. I paid a small fortune for Baby and there’s nothing else like her. I can play bass, piano, drums… I could have my own brand of instruments.”
She saw the excitement in his eyes, even though he was trying to hide it. “You should do it.”
“I might look into it,” he said in a noncommittal voice as he continued to massage her feet. “I’ve spent so much time on the road, I might even invest in custom buses for touring. I know what works, what doesn’t.” He paused and she met his eyes. “Maybe if I show you the buses, we can tour in the future. I won’t go without you.”
“We could try.”
He lifted her foot and kissed the inside of her ankle. “Thanks, baby.”
She let out a long breath. “No problem.”
“There’s an award show coming up. Will you go with me?”
“When?” she asked warily.
“Two weeks. I asked Bethany to make you a dress.”
Her eyes bugged. “You what?”
“You like her dresses, right?”
“Yes, but she makes wedding gowns!”
“If she can do a wedding gown, she can make a dress for the red carpet. I told Bethany about the event and she tried to r
efer me to some designer in New York. I told her I wanted a Bethany London Design.” He gave her a roguish smile. “So, you have to come to promote her.”
“You’re sneaky.”
“I try.”
Johnny grabbed a remote and pointed it at a stereo in the corner. The plucked strings of a guitar echoed through the room and Demi’s lips curved. She cuddled into the plush couch as she listened.
“Beautiful,” she murmured.
Put a ring on her finger
Knew she wasn’t the right one
Don’t care what’s right or wrong anymore
Just want the pain to fade away
She sat up as Johnny’s voice filled the room. She had an idea what album this was and her throat got tight with anxiety “What is this?”
“Just listen,” he said, voice rough as his hands continued to move soothingly over her.
The lyrics tore at her soul. She bowed her head as she took the blows. When the track ended she relaxed a little as simple, sweet notes played on the piano.
Success means nothing without her
Wear my pain in plain sight
The crowd worships me for it
With all the beautiful women
How can she be the only one I see?
Her touch is on every song
Her face in every crowd
“You’re killing me,” Demi whispered.
“Listen.”
Heavy bass and slack key came on the next track.
Became the man I said I wouldn’t be
Became the star I knew I could be
Made the mistakes I said I wouldn’t do
See the cliff, don’t stop
Need to know how far it is to the bottom
Going nowhere fast
I keep falling, falling
Eight tracks passed and when the last one finished, Demi’s face was wet with tears. The lyrics were straight from Johnny’s heart. The first song was line by line the fiasco that tore them apart. The rest were his journey to success and the bittersweet taste of fame and through it all… her.
“This album is called, Rock Star’s Ballad,” Johnny said quietly. “This is the first album I recorded with Gwen. Do you know why I wanted you to hear it?”
She wiped her eyes and shook her head.
“I wrote this album years ago and you were still with me. I was never able to shake you even when I should have been flying high. I can’t.”
She stared at him through a veil of tears. “Johnny.”
“I waited a week.”
“What?”
Johnny swung her legs around and knelt in front of her. He reached into his pocket and held up a ring. A large solitaire black diamond gleamed on a platinum band. Johnny’s eyes bored into hers as he held it between them.
“You were the first woman to see the real me. You invited me to be a part of your family. I thought I could chase my dream and keep you too, but I couldn’t.”
She wanted to reach out and touch him, but saw that he had to get this out, so she stayed silent.
“You know my background, the things I’ve done. I can’t change the past, but I can tell you, Demi, no one will ever love you the way I do.”
She smiled through the tears.
“I want to make you my wife and have children with you. I want us to have our own family. I need to belong to someone and I want that someone to be you. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I promise, we will be together and I’ll make you happy.”
He took her left hand in his and threaded the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit and whispered darkly to her.
“Will you marry me?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yes!”
She yelped when he fell on his back with her on top of him. He pulled her head down and latched onto her lips. His tongue invaded her mouth and she reached between their bodies and found that he was hard and pulsing. She positioned herself and slid him inside of her. She rode him with her hands splayed on his chest, the black diamond glinting against his skin. He gripped her hips as she bucked and ground against him.
“Love my Demi,” he panted. “Take me.”
She quickened her pace and when his finger pressed on her clit, she convulsed. He rolled, hips pumping until he found his own release. He slumped over her and kissed her long and deep, hands moving through her hair, down the side of her face, over the lines of her body.
“You were made for me,” he whispered. “You were made to be mine, Demi.”
“And you’re mine.”
“So, when are we getting married?”
“You want a wedding?”
“My one and only, baby.”
“A year?”
Johnny snorted. “Our baby would be three months old by then.”
“Two months.”
He ran his hands over her belly and her sides before he nodded. “Two months.”
He got up and carried her to their room where he dropped her and promptly wrapped himself around her. She smiled as Johnny’s possessive hands moved over her skin and touched the engagement ring. He was near sleep when she spoke.
“Why a black diamond?”
“I’m a rock star, baby.”
She laughed. “Right.”
***
“This is crazy. It’s Saturday!” Demi protested as he pulled her up the stairs to Valerie’s house.
“She’s like my honorary mother. If she finds out from someone else, she’ll kill me,” Johnny said and rang the doorbell.
The door was opened immediately by a grinning Brooks. It was almost as if he’d been expecting them. Demi blinked when he wrapped her up in a tight hug.
“Come on in!” Brooks said.
Johnny gave Brooks a funny look. “What’s up?”
“We’re all in the kitchen,” Brooks said.
“All?” Demi echoed, mildly alarmed as she was ushered forward.
Sure enough, the whole Delaney/Hawking family was present from Paula and Uncle Al to Max and Holly and their demons. Missy and Guy were there with their brood as was Kerry, her husband and two kids. Regan sat on the counter with Chase on her lap. Everyone stood with plates of eggs and sausage and there were nods and calls of welcome as she and Johnny walked in.
“Eat! Eat!” Valerie said gaily.
“What’s going on?” Demi asked.
“This is a normal Saturday morning,” Valerie said.
“We have an announcement to make,” Brooks said.
All conversation stopped and everyone shifted their focus to him. Regan had her arms wrapped around Chase and rested her chin on his head. She had a nervous, pale look that made Demi frown.
“Regan Lee’s pregnant,” Brooks said and looked as if he was going to explode with joy.
There was a startled pause and then Valerie let out a bloodcurdling scream and began to cry. Regan blinked rapidly and buried her face in Chase’s hair as everyone converged on her. Demi didn’t realize she was clapping and hopping up and down until Johnny put an arm around her.
“I’m so excited!” Demi said unnecessarily.
Johnny leaned down and kissed her. “I can’t wait till we have one.”
“We will,” she murmured and then made her way through the throng to congratulate Regan face to face. Regan was unusually emotional and the week of feeling sick off and on finally made sense. Regan’s mouth quirked when Demi stopped in front of her.
“Knocked up again,” Regan said and sniffed.
“You’re happy, right?” Demi demanded.
“So happy,” Regan said with a hitch in her breath and then her eyes flew wide. Her hand flashed out and held up Demi’s. The black diamond glittered. Regan looked like she might be on the verge of hitting something. Then, her face crumpled and she began to cry in earnest.
“Regan Lee, what the—” Valerie cooed and then saw Demi’s ring. She let out another bloodcurdling scream and leapt on Demi, hugging and kissing her face.
“What the—? Holy shit!
” Missy shouted. “They’re getting married!”
“Who is—? He put a ring on it!” Kerry shouted and announced to the men who were still confused. “Johnny proposed!”
There was more screaming, tugging on her hand to see the ring and questions about the wedding.
“He’s giving me two months,” Demi said.
Kerry and Missy looked stricken. “Two months? That’s it?”
Demi nodded. “He would’ve gotten married today if I let him.”
Kerry and Missy elbowed one another as they teared up. “Babies and weddings. I love it.”
“So, where do you want to get married?”
Demi’s mind was a complete blank. “I, uh, I don’t know.”
“We can do it at the lake!” Regan said from her perch on the counter.
“How the hell are we gonna fit the people Johnny’s gonna invite at the lake?” Missy snapped.
“I can talk to Daniel. He might let us use the resort. It’ll be good for business since so many people are coming,” Regan said.
Missy stared at her. “For once, Regan Lee, I think you might be using your brain. I’ll talk to Daniel since you’re an emotional sap when you’re pregnant. We don’t want Brooks having an aneurysm.”
Regan glared at her sister. “After the fifth month, I’m fine.”
“Well, you’re not there yet, Waterworks,” Missy said with a dismissive flick of her hand and leaned forward to whisper, “Regan Lee’s a badass most of the time but when she got pregnant with Chase, she was an emotional wreck. Its pretty pathetic.”
A piece of toast hit Missy in the back of the head and covered her in bread crumbs. Guy stepped in before Missy could rush her sister.
“She’s pregnant,” Guy said.
Missy looked around Guy’s imposing figure. “You’re lucky Chase takes after Brooks. I hope you have a girl that drives you up the wall!”
Regan sniffed. “My kids will be saints.”
Missy turned her back on Regan and focused on Demi again. “So, I’ll talk to Daniel. What about your wedding gown?”
